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Friday, 8 January 2010

I'm sure the speed of the passage of time is directly proportional to one's age. Time seems to have crept up on me in the Gridlock excitement and I've realised that I'm going away tomorrow for three weeks. No internet for three whole weeks! If that doesn't kill me, I'll be back blogging and finishing the Gridlock videos on my return (provided no one else has done them).

As tempting as it is to cancel, I'm slightly pleased that Adam Lambert doesn't quite rule my life to that extent! I know I'll be missing so much, so please enjoy all the upcoming events that little bit extra for me in my absence. I hope I'll see you back here when I return. Thank you all for visiting!

Friday, 1 January 2010

UPDATE 10/02/10: Added Improved Soaked with comments.
UPDATE 06/01/10: Added Improved If I Had You with comments.
UPDATE 04/01/10: Added Improved Music Again with comments.

I hope you all enjoyed yourselves and had a blast! The build-up to Gridlock was all very exciting as we were all trying to guess yet again what Adam would be singing, how he'd be singing it and what he'd be wearing. This was one appearance where I wasn't at all nervous and it was a great feeling not to have the pressure of needing to behave in front of the TV cameras. I'm really not a morning person but managed to set my alarm to half wake up for the streams. Unfortunately only a couple of them worked, some lacked sound and another kept buffering so I'm thankful for all the videos that were taken.

Adam's look 'I wanted to look like a firework' was styled like the AMAs with the exception of a tailed coat with symmetrically rhinestoned shoulder detailing. From what I could tell, the set started with Music Again, leading to If I Had You. Adam's voice had somehow managed to slice through all the ear-bleeding static and I could hear its power and clarity on the second song. WWFM was next, followed by Strut, Sure Fire Winners, some beautiful vibrato on Soaked, FYE and Sleepwalker which had Adam doing the most incredible vocal 'guitar solo'. Next was Fever, and the set ended with a crazily pumping Down The Rabbit Hole. WLL was the encore and sounded very different with the new band and the inclusion of a drum solo. The gig seemed to have a club vibe rather than that of a rock concert, and Adam was on fire. It was a wild high-octane show with Adam's energy and dancing electrifying the whole audience, whichever corner of the globe. I wish I could have been there at the first Adam concert, as the advantage of the performance not being televised was that the reigns were finally fully off, and what better way to start off the new decade?

Here are the best quality videos of each performance so far, which I'll be updating and tweaking as they come. My improved versions are the big one. More comments will follow as I work through them.

MUSIC AGAIN
This video was a real labour of obsession, made out of 29 separate cuttings from various videos and I'm really pleased with the result. Thanks for all your help in keeping me up to date with all the latest uploads.

To steer clear of expectations, I hadn't really thought much about the set or the order when I tuned into the stream, but despite being able to hear jack shit, I could still make out the distinctive and cheeky ascending beats at the intro of Music Again. It's the perfect party starter.

The interaction with Pamela at the start was deemed interesting enough to have been reported by the British press. Although the exchange was friendly, they seemed to mirror each other's defensiveness by intercepting hands from wandering into their personal space.

Right from the start, Adam reminds us that having his ABC gig cancelled could actually be a good thing for us fans because he's allowed to welcome us into the new 'motherfucking decade' with a show on his own terms. He can let loose and enjoy himself without having to worry about the bullshit, and it reflects in this most thrilling and explosive party of his where the crowd are not just spectators but are participants providing Adam with energy to feed off. After all the chat show appearances, this makes a most welcome change. This isn't a concert about vocals despite their being perfect on this song, nor is it exactly about what Adam does on stage but it's all about the effect on the atmosphere of the party. Adam is here for our entertainment, making us enjoy ourselves.

It's a little strange seeing him under red lights instead of blue as it gives off a slightly different feel. I associate red lights with debauchery and my many crazy hazy drunken nights out in various clubs. My favourite parts of this song are his evil claw, his fluid hip action and the way he seems to be so relaxed and beaming with joy.

IF I HAD YOU
Flippin' heck these edits are getting more and more complicated - this was was made up of 39 pieces!

From when the bassline kicks in at the very start, we are powerless to resist stomping to its rhythm. The song is full of booty-shaking energy with a club vibe that just makes me wish I were there for the party. This was the first time I'd seen it performed, and although there is a very rare painful note in the recording, it more than achieves its goal in getting the party going. My favourite part has to be where he drops and is led back up by his crotch.

WWFM

STRUT

SURE FIRE WINNERS

SOAKED
Here's the first video I've done in a while, it was trying to make the best sound file I could that ended up taking the longest so I hope it was worth it.

This is the performance that epitomises the phrase “I'll show you theatrical, bitch!” where Adam works the mood right from the start as he shimmies on his stool. He physically interprets the cymbal clash with a snap pose, and watch how it looks like he hits Lisa in the head. His voice at the start has a floaty, quivering ethereal quality to it, aided by the deifying rotating halo spotlight. Since his movement around the stage is limited, all eyes are on him and I find his swaying and expressions ethralling; the way he stretches, moulds and folds his lips (especially at the 2:15 mark) to not only create the sounds but to evoke the feelings of self-loathing interpreted from the lyrics. He seems to lose time during 'Take shelter and hide forever' but swiftly corrects himself. During the instrumental break, we get a change to red lighting and Adam steps up the melodrama with his acting skills. We have hand gestures, panting, the rehearsed reach for his hip flask (I wonder what was in it) which arrives just a little bit early, and the angry sip and wipe of the mouth. I find myself laughing at the theatrics wishing I were a tipsy member of the audience rather than viewing him via the footage. From this song, we perhaps get a glimpse of what Adam would be like as a drunkard! I must comment on the spot-on vocals, the dynamic range of which are just staggering. It takes a quality singer with a huge voice to be able to bring this song to life as Adam has done. My favourite part has to be that note. It sounds ghostly the way it lingers in the air before drifting off, leaving a lasting impression that continues to haunt.

FYE AND SLEEPWALKER

FEVER

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

WLL

Happy new year! Happy new decade(nce)! Have a fun-filled glitterified one!